


Archive of Arthur

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Into the Pieces-Verse [2]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, Ficlet Collection, Friendship, Gen, Hybrids, Mother-Son Relationship, Original Character-centric, POV Original Character, Speciesism, Stargazing, held captive by area 49b, part of my pieces au but not necessarily canon to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-10 20:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20534093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: A collection of short scenes focused on my oc, Arthur, son of Barbara Lake and Blinky Galadrigal and named after Arrrgh!!!These snippets will follow him through experiences such as dealing with being held captive by Area 49B, meeting another half-troll, and delving into him gaining the ability to talk to fish.





	1. What We See Under The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While allowed outdoors to stargaze one night, Arthur contemplates his mother's love and his life in Area 49B.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be a scene in ch.5 of my fic, Piecing Ourselves Together. Because of plot related things, it stopped working in the narrative and I had to remove it from that chapter's draft. 
> 
> However, since I'm fond of it, I decided to post it here separately as a 'deleted scene'. In the future, if I like other scenes that I end up having to remove from the story itself, I'll post them here too.
> 
> *there will be an equally as emotional scene between Barbara and Arthur in ch.5, but its setting and focus will be different.

Arthur first learned of the world from the relative safety of his mother’s lap.It wasn’t often, but sometimes they’d let her carry him outside.Arthur would hold tight to her as she walked them to the little patch of grass they were permitted to go to.

More than anything, Arthur liked sitting in his mother’s lap.With her behind him and her arms on either side of him, he felt protected in a way the guards who were supposed to protect him never seemed to be able to manage.

Arthur never really felt at ease with the guards, or their big, glowing green guns.They said they were they to ensure the wellbeing of Arthur and his mother, but if they were really meant to do that, then why did they let the scientists hurt him sometimes?Why did they grab his mother so hard that they’d leave behind purple bruises on her arms?

His mother wasn’t like Arthur.She didn’t have stone skin.She could get hurt a lot more easily than him.That was one of the first truths Arthur had ever known about life.His mother could be hurt.It had happened before.At his birth.Because she wasn’t stone like him, he’d hurt her when he was born.Arthur didn’t quite understand the why or how of it, but he knew it to be true.

That’s why Arthur didn’t understand why the guards acted how they did.He himself was always very, very careful to never hurt his mother again.Surely they cared about her like he did.So, why didn’t they do the same?

“Arthur, look, can you see the stars?”His mother’s quiet voice asked him.She carded her hands through his thick hair and teased out the tangles.

Arthur looked up at the tiny dots in the night sky.“Yes, mama.”They were so distant, impossible to reach.Like pretty decorations.He wasn’t too fond of them.Whenever they came out to see them, his mother’s voice always took on a wistful tone he didn’t like.

When she took that tone, it made her feel distant.Like the Outside beyond the perimeter walls.Arthur hated that feeling.He never wanted his mother to go.To leave him.Alone with all the scientists.

He wrapped all four of his arms around her as tight as he dared and nuzzled his head into her tummy.Though, he was careful to angle his short, stubby horns away from her so they wouldn’t poke her.

Arthur felt his mother’s chest rise and fall with a deep breath.He felt her arms wrap around him in return.

She loved him.

It was a quiet, calm night.The moon gleamed in the sky above.The guards stood at each of the corners of the patch of grass and watched Arthur and his mother like they always did.

On some occasions, Arthur would crawl down from his mother’s lap and play.Not tonight.That day’s tests had hurt more than usual.He was really sore.He wanted to be close to his mother, who always comforted him.To remind himself that she was still there.That they hadn’t taken her away, like they threatened to do when he was bad and protested.

Arthur curled up against his mother and let her voice soothe him.


	2. Arthur and Reya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reya, my other child oc, makes friends with Arthur bc neither of them are considered acceptable by trollish society.

“Hi.”

Reya strides over to where Arthur sits huddled against the back wall of his father’s library. He glances up at her from beneath his bangs. She’s less intimidating than she was earlier. Less aggressive. Still, he wishes she’d just go away and leave him alone.

Arthur wants things to go back to the way they were when it was just him and his mom. All these new people are _overwhelming_. He can’t figure out which are the Good Ones and which are the Bad Ones. The subsequent confusion is _exhausting._

“Sorry I scared you earlier.”Reya sits down beside Arthur.He edges away from her.She pretends not to notice.“I just really wanted to be your friend, cause your like me.”Reya blows a raspberry.“But grandpa Kanjigar says I can’t treat everybody the same, cause not everybody likes loudness, or something like that.The way he said it was way better.I’m not as good at words.”She pauses.“I bet you’re great at words, cause your dad loves them so much and stuff.”Reya looks at him half-expectantly.

Arthur recognizes it’s now his turn to Say Something, but he’s not sure what.He focuses in on one specific aspect of what Reya said.“I’m like you?”He asks quietly.He’s never met any one _like _him before in his short life.Everyone’s always told him how incredibly different he is from literally everybody else.

“Maybe not _completely._”Reya shrugs.“Cause no one is completely like someone else.Except maybe identical twins.But even they’re a little different.But, _yeah_.”She hesitates.“See, I’m what they call an ‘impure’ too.”She rubs a finger into the ground.“Your mom’s a human; mine was a changeling.”Reya looks back at Arthur.“Since we don’t really belong anywhere, I was thinking maybe we could belong nowhere together?


	3. Fishy Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After watching the movie Aquaman and realizing the protagonist was also named Arthur, I wanted to mess around with my Arthur potentially having the ability to talk to fish.

Arthur fidgeted. He hated it when they took away Mom for tests. It was the only time when she wasn’t with him, when he was completely alone (when the scientists took _him _for tests, they always allowed her to come too, to comfort him).

He looked around the holding room, but nothing’s changed since the last time he was in here. It’s still small, cramped, and filled with giant, empty tanks.

Wait...

Arthur approached one of the tanks, a new one. Instead of being filled with weird yellow or green liquid, it had a deep greenish-blue liquid. If Arthur had ever been out of Area 49B, and gone to the beach as his parents had long ago planned, he’d be able to recognize sea water. As it stood, all he saw was just another type of undrinkable liquid.

But, there was something _in_ this tank. Well, a couple somethings really. They glittered in the light and swam back and forth. Arthur pressed his hands against the glass and leaned forward, as to better look at them. His nose squashed against the glass’s surface.

“Hello, my name’s Arthur. What’s yours?”

_Is it talking to us?_

_Why does it have to press itself to the invisible wall like that?_

_When is it going to go away?_

_I hope it doesn’t yell or make loud noises._

The answers came in his head, in a funny way. Arthur knew he wasn’t hearing them like he did Mom and the scientists, but they were still there.

Arthur stepped back. “Sorry. I won’t be loud. I’ve just never met anyone like you guys before.” He paused. “I don’t get to meet new people much.” Specifically, he didn’t get to meet new people who weren’t trying to find a way to successfully stick needles into his stone skin, but he didn’t say that.

A new creature, one bigger than the glittery ones, floated down from the top corner of the tank. Unlike them, it had many arms with rows and rows of suction cups, and a giant head. It turned itself sideways and regarded him with one big eye.

_You can understand us?_

“Uh-huh.” Arthur nodded.

_Peculiar._

Arthur shrugged. “I guess. I’ve always been weird.”

It was the first truth he knew about himself. He wasn’t “normal”. Though, that whole concept confused him greatly. Arthur had always been himself and his life had always been what it was. That was what “normal” meant, right? Except, no. The scientists said “normal” was something that belonged Outside, with “normal” people, which Arthur certainly was not.

“Do you want to be friends?” Arthur hoped to change the subject, and he’d never had a friend before (Mom didn’t count because she was _Mom)._

_Hmm. Perhaps it would be best if we _stuck_ together. Pardon my joke._

Arthur grinned, but refrained from saying “yay” or laughing loudly, because that would draw attention and the scientists would come to find out what was going on.

“Do you have a name? Mine’s Arthur.”

_Not one that you would understand._

“Okay. We can come up with one together then, maybe?”


End file.
